Last updated: July 2026 — based on the “Karadata Protsahan Upahar Karyakram Sanchalan Karyavidhi, 2083” issued by the Ministry of Finance.

Here is something most Nepalis have never heard from their government: take a bill when you shop, and you could win up to NPR 10 lakh.

That is now official policy. The Ministry of Finance has issued the Taxpayer Incentive Gift Program Procedure, 2083 (करदाता प्रोत्साहन उपहार कार्यविधि, २०८३), a lucky-draw scheme where ordinary consumers who collect invoices — or simply pay digitally — are automatically entered to win daily and fortnightly cash prizes. Every day, one consumer wins NPR 1,33,334, and each month two fortnightly bumper winners take home NPR 10 lakh each.

The catch? You need a personal PAN (Permanent Account Number), your purchase must cross NPR 100, and if you paid in cash you’ll need to register the bill yourself on a new digital platform launching from Shrawan 16, 2083.

This guide breaks down the taxpayer gift program in Nepal completely: who qualifies, which bills count (and which don’t), how online payers get entered automatically, the exact prize math after tax, and the smart way to maximize your entries.

What Is the Taxpayer Gift Program?

The program is a government-run lucky draw designed to reward consumers who demand proper invoices. It will be implemented by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) under the procedure approved by the Ministry of Finance, and it was originally announced through the national budget.

According to IRD Director and Information Officer Keshav Raghuvanshi, the program primarily targets final consumers buying trading and imported goods — everyday shoppers, not businesses. Purchases made for commercial purposes are explicitly excluded.

The logic is simple and clever:

• When you take a bill, the seller must record the sale.
• When the sale is recorded, it enters the tax system.
• When transactions enter the tax system, under-invoicing and tax evasion shrink.

Instead of policing every shop, the government is turning millions of consumers into voluntary enforcement agents — with lottery prizes as the motivation. This model has worked in countries like Taiwan (its famous “Uniform Invoice Lottery” has run since 1951) and has been piloted in Portugal, Slovakia, and several Indian states.

Nepal actually tried a similar scheme around FY 2064/65, but it fizzled out. The revival — pushed by Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle — comes with a critical upgrade the old version never had: digital payment integration and a central billing system, which makes automatic entry possible at scale.

Prize Structure: What Can You Actually Win?

The procedure sets out two prize tiers, drawn by lottery (गोला प्रथा):

Why the deduction? Under Section 88(a) of the Income Tax Act, 2058, windfall gains (आकस्मिक लाभ) are taxed at 25% at source. So the daily winner nets a clean NPR 1 lakh — which is why Nepali media are framing this as “one new lakhpati every day.”

The government expects to spend roughly NPR 45 lakh per month on prizes — a small cost against the revenue upside if billing compliance improves even marginally.

Who Is Eligible? The 4 Requirements

To enter the lucky draw, you must meet all of these:

• Purchase above NPR 100. Even everyday items count — salt, cooking oil, groceries, even petroleum products. Take the bill, and that transaction qualifies.
• Hold a personal PAN. This is mandatory. No personal Permanent Account Number, no entry. (More on getting a PAN below — it takes minutes and is free.)
• Take a genuine invoice (or pay through a digital channel that records the transaction).
• The purchase must be personal, not commercial. Business purchases are outside the program.

Bills That Do NOT Count

The procedure explicitly excludes several bill types from the draw:

• Business/commercial purchase bills
• Bills issued in the name of government or public bodies
• Air tickets
• Internet and telephone bills
• Electricity bills
• Vehicle and transportation/freight bills

In short: routine utility and transport payments are out. The program is aimed at retail consumption — the segment where under-billing is most rampant.

How to Enter: Online Payers vs. Cash Payers

This is where the program gets genuinely modern — and where your payment habit determines how much effort entry takes.

If You Pay Online: You’re Entered Automatically

Pay with a wallet, mobile banking, or QR? You do nothing extra.

The IRD, in coordination with Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), plans to integrate online payment transaction details directly into its system. Every qualifying digital payment flows into the draw pool automatically.

The same applies to shoppers at large department stores with annual turnover above NPR 10 crore (think Bhatbhateni-scale retailers). These stores are connected to the IRD’s Central Billing System (CBMS), so purchases there enter the draw without any manual step — regardless of how you paid.

This is the single strongest financial argument yet for going cashless in Nepal: the same NPR 500 grocery run, paid by QR instead of cash, now carries a free lottery ticket with zero paperwork.

If You Pay Cash: Register the Bill Manually

Cash payers must self-register each bill on the IRD’s digital platform, which the department is preparing to launch from Shrawan 16 (early August 2026). Once live, you’ll enter:

• Invoice (bill) number
• Seller’s PAN number (printed on every legal invoice)
• Bill issue date
• Total amount
• Payment type — cash or electronic
• Your name and mobile number

Practical tip: photograph every qualifying bill the moment you receive it. Thermal-paper receipts fade within weeks — a faded bill is an unregistrable bill.

Don’t Have a PAN Yet? Fix That First

The PAN requirement is the gatekeeper — and it’s also one of the program’s quiet objectives: pulling more citizens into the PAN net.

Getting a personal PAN in Nepal is free and fast:

• Register online through the IRD’s taxpayer portal (ird.gov.np) or visit any Inland Revenue Office / Taxpayer Service Office with your citizenship certificate.
• You receive a PAN that stays with you for life.
• Having a PAN does not automatically mean you owe tax — it simply registers you in the system. Salaried employees already have one through their employer’s payroll.

If you’ve been postponing PAN registration, a shot at NPR 10 lakh every fortnight is a decent reason to stop postponing.

Why Is the Government Doing This? (The Strategy Behind the Prizes)

Understanding the “why” tells you how seriously this will be enforced and promoted. The stated objectives:

• Build a billing culture. Make asking for the bill (बिल माग्ने बानी) a default consumer behavior, not an awkward request.
• Bring real transactions into the tax net. Every registered invoice is a data point the IRD can cross-check against the seller’s declared sales.
• Expand PAN coverage among ordinary citizens.
• Discourage hidden transactions and curb tax evasion at the retail level.
• Accelerate digital payments and the central billing system, making economic activity more transparent.

For consumers, there’s a hidden benefit beyond the lottery: a proper invoice is your legal proof of purchase — essential for warranty claims, exchanges, and consumer-rights complaints. The gift program pays you to do something you should be doing anyway.

Smart Strategies to Maximize Your Chances

A few high-leverage habits once the system is live:

• Shift routine spending to digital payments. Automatic entry means every QR payment is a frictionless ticket. Cash + manual registration = friction; friction = missed entries.
• Consolidate shopping at CBMS-connected stores where entry is automatic even for cash.
• Never leave a shop without the bill on purchases above NPR 100 — including fuel.
• Set a weekly “bill registration” routine for cash purchases: 10 minutes every Saturday entering that week’s bills beats a shoebox of faded receipts.
• Get PANs for adult family members. Each PAN-holding adult who shops is a separate pool of entries for the household.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much can I win from the taxpayer gift program in Nepal?

The daily prize is NPR 1,33,334 gross (NPR 1,00,000 after the 25% windfall gains tax), drawn every day. The fortnightly bumper prize is NPR 10,00,000 gross (NPR 7,50,000 net), with two bumper winners each month.

Is a PAN number compulsory to participate?

Yes. A personal Permanent Account Number (PAN) is mandatory for entry into the lucky draw. PAN registration is free and can be done online via the IRD portal or at any Inland Revenue Office with your citizenship certificate.

Do online payments enter the draw automatically?

Yes. The IRD, coordinating with Nepal Rastra Bank, plans to pull digital payment transaction data directly into its system, so consumers paying online need no additional registration. Purchases at large stores connected to the Central Billing System are also entered automatically.

How do I register a cash bill for the lucky draw?

From Shrawan 16, 2083, the IRD’s digital platform will accept manual bill registration. You’ll enter the invoice number, the seller’s PAN, the issue date, total amount, payment type, and your name and mobile number.

Which bills are excluded from the program?

Commercial/business purchase bills, bills issued to government or public bodies, air tickets, internet and telephone bills, electricity bills, and vehicle or freight/transportation bills do not qualify.

Is the prize money taxable?

Yes — 25% is deducted at source as windfall gains tax under Section 88(a) of the Income Tax Act, 2058. You receive the net amount: NPR 1 lakh for daily winners and NPR 7.5 lakh for fortnightly bumper winners.

Has Nepal tried this before?

A similar consumer-incentive scheme was attempted around FY 2064/65 but didn’t last. The current program, revived under Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle, is backed by digital payment integration and a central billing system — infrastructure the earlier attempt lacked.

Final Takeaway

The taxpayer gift program in Nepal flips a chore into a chance: every bill above NPR 100, every QR payment at the kirana pasal, is now a potential NPR 10 lakh ticket. The requirements are minimal — get your PAN, take your bills, and if you pay cash, register them on the IRD platform once it launches on Shrawan 16.

Beyond the prizes, this is a landmark moment for Nepal’s digital-finance transition: for the first time, the tax system is directly rewarding ordinary consumers for transparency. Whether you win or not, the habits it builds — demanding bills, paying digitally, holding a PAN — are ones every financially literate Nepali should have anyway.

Want to stay ahead of Nepal’s fintech and digital finance changes — explained simply? Digital Solution breaks down every major policy, payment system, and money-saving update for everyday Nepalis. Message us on WhatsApp to join our updates, or explore more guides on digitalsolutionnepal.com.

Sources: “Karadata Protsahan Upahar Karyakram Sanchalan Karyavidhi, 2083,” Ministry of Finance; Inland Revenue Department statements (July 2026). Program details, dates, and platform availability may change — confirm on the official IRD portal (ird.gov.np) before relying on specifics.

Written by

Rabin Paudel

Rabin Paudel is the Founder of Digital Solution, a Content Creator, and an AI Trainer. He shares practical and easy-to-understand content on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Literacy, Online Services, FinTech, and Technology. His mission is to make technology simple, accessible, and useful for everyone.

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